Pegged With The Color Pink
The color pink is unquestionably a universal representation of femininity, but can this inherent symbolism in fact be a determinant to women? As the staple color for barbies, breast cancer, and pop culture references towards women, females are pegged with the color pink from the moment they are born and well into their formative years. Although pink can signify hope, nurturing, caring, love, it can also invariably equate the female gender to evocative qualities like delicateness, naivety, helplessness, innocence and even emotional vulnerability.
Males, on the other hand, are associated with the color blue from adolescence. Blue, the color of corporate America, symbolizes expertise, power, integrity, strength, and stability.
As a woman, you have to wonder if this age-old association lingers subconsciously in the workplace. Would wearing even a tinge of pink at a meeting hinder a woman’s contribution or foster an unintentional prejudice in men? Or is there simply no room to dress in a feminine yet work-appropriate manner without inadvertently being discounted?
If so, is the color connotation of genders something to be re-considered? If, for the sake of argument, there must be a color association with gender, then why not the color orange? Just as pink is the combination of red and white, instead of “calming down” or diluting the color red, what if we add a bit of yellow into the mix? The combined vibrant energy of red and yellow is an emblem of success, enthusiasm, determination, and endurance.
What do you think: Is the color pink a subliminal influencer in people’s minds? And have you had any difficulty embracing your femininity through fashion in the workplace?
Aparna is currently co-developing Unnivers, an international think tank focused on supporting higher education leaders in the Americas and Europe adapt and advance their universities in matters of innovation, entrepreneurship, and innovation. You can reach Aparna at asud@unnivers.org.
